The present invention relates to a monitoring and control system for electrical storage elements of a vehicle, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a monitoring system for monitoring power into and out of the electrical storage elements.
Large vehicles (e.g., semi-tractors, trucks, etc.) are commonly used to transport cargo. Existing tractors in a tractor-trailer combination typically include cabins that are conditioned by air conditioning systems. Often, electrical energy from a power source is stored in one or more batteries of the vehicle to provide stored electrical energy for later use when the power source is unavailable. In some vehicles, groups of batteries are provided for supplying power to electrical components of the vehicle.
Current transport HVAC systems typically use a low-voltage-disconnect device to prevent the batteries from discharging to a point where the truck engine does not start. Alternatively, some HVAC systems may use a simple time-based load reduction scheme to improve the runtime of the HVAC system when power is supplied from the batteries.